03 January 2011

This is so inspirational. The Today Show ran a wonderful segment this morning about Dyson Kilodavis, the 5-year-old Seattle-area boy who likes to wear jewelry, gowns and balllerina ruffle dresses. Dyson calls himself the "Princess Boy" and his mother Cheryl Kilodavis self-published a book by the same name to encourage toleranmce and acceptance around gender identity.

"I dress like this because it makes me feel happy," Dyson told Today.

Dyson is fortunate to have such understanding parents. Adds MSNBC's The Grio: "[Experts say] the fact that the Kilodavis' are African-American called attention to the issue in the African-American community, which tends to be more conservative about the way they view gender roles. Mrs. Kilodavis says her own interaction with other African-Americans has been a mixed bag but she acknowledges, "In some parts of the African American community, gender identity issues are taboo."

My Princess Boy was picked up by Simon & Schuster and is used as an anti-bullying tool in schools across the country. Watch the TODAY segment and a previous interview with the family WHEN YOU JUMP ...